Rheumatic diseases traditionally involve a wide variety of peripheral target organs. Involvement of the central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous systems are traditionally among the most difficult and challenging to diagnose and treat. Advances in neuroscience in the past several years have shed new light on many of these CNS and PNS manifestations, and it is clinically important that rheumatologists be able to incorporate these data into their approach to diagnosing and managing patients with these complications.

Target Audience

Rheumatologists, neurologists and other specialists managing patients with rheumatic and other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system who are being treated with immunosuppressive and/or biologic therapies.

• Classify neuropsychiatric complications of SLE and describe the sequence, order, and interpretation of neurodiagnostic testing needed to accurately diagnose these complications using established guidelines and nomenclature.
   
• Differentiate the common clinical subsets of CNS vasculitis from their important mimics and describe the interpretation and limitations of common neurodiagnostic testing used for its evaluation.
   
• Identify the common clinical and electrodiagnostic features of vasculitis neuropathy and associate and correlate such findings to neurovascular pathologic findings.
   
• Define the role of immunosuppressive and biologic therapies in the pathogenesis of opportunistic CNS infections and recognize and evaluate patients suspected of having these disorders, including progressive multifocal leukencephalopathy.